The Alhambra Theatre & Dining in
Jacksonville, Florida, is the oldest continually operating
dinner theater in the United States,[1] and the only professional resident theatre in the area south of Atlanta, east of New Orleans and north of Orlando.[2]

Contents

History

The Alhambra was built by Jacksonville businessman Leon Simon in 1967 and purchased by Tod Booth, Sr. in 1984. Booth moved to Jacksonville from Chicago, where he worked as artistic director for the
Drury Lane Theaters.[3] His family has frequently been involved, with daughter Jessica Booth and wife Lisa Valdini appearing in a number of shows and son Tod Jr. contributing in various aspects, including acting, directing and stage managing of the dinner theatre before becoming general manager and director of the Alhambra's Children's Theatre.[4]

Signage for Alhambra Dinner Theatre

As with other dinner theaters of the 1970s, Alhambra initially relied on the appeal of former stars of film, television and music to attract customers. Alhambra's first such headliner was in Barefoot in the Park in 1969, which featured former Gilligan's Island costar
Dawn Wells. Stars earned weekly pay between $1,500 and $5,000 for six to eight weeks as well as being able to enjoy the weather and amenities in Florida.[3] According to Booth, "When their careers cooled, a star could learn a show and take it on the dinner theater circuit. That one show could be a meal ticket for a year or two."[3]
Other celebrities, including soap opera cast members, hosts from TV game shows, and
PlayboyCenterfold gals appeared in productions.
In the early 1980s, however, it became difficult to hire former big names to act in dinner theatre. Booth explained: "They could make more in a day doing a commercial than they could make during the entire run of dinner theater show, and they didn't have to travel. Plus, a lot of the stars just started dying off."[3] As a result, few of the performers had familiar names, but all were professionals, most with extensive experience on stage, in movies and TV. The show itself was promoted, rather than the headliner.[3]

The Alhambra's performers are members of the
Actors' Equity Association (AEA), the union that represents professional stage and film actors. The theatre features buffet dinners and a full bar service.[6] The bar itself seats 75 for patrons who arrive early for happy hour. The facility uses a
Thrust stage to give all 408 seats an excellent view. Several staff members have been at the venue for over 25 years.[1]

Expansion

During 1997, plans were drawn up to reconfigure the Alhambra into separate theatre and dining sections. A 24,800 sq ft (2,300 m2) new building would be constructed for a restaurant seating 600 and a banquet facility for another 100. The present structure would be converted into auditorium seating for 600 and triple the size of the stage. Construction was projected to start in the fall of 1998, pending financing approval, which never materialized.[2]

In 2000, plans for a $10 million, 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) project were submitted to the city for approval. Three buildings would be constructed surrounding the existing structure, which would eventually be razed. However, Jacksonville's Concurrency Management Office determined that there was insufficient traffic capacity, and denied the permit.[7]

Brief closure

On August 31, 2009, the Alhambra Dinner Theatre suspended operations, citing the effect of the
Late-2000s recession on attendance and expenses. The sale of the theatre to Theatre Partners, a group of local investors, was announced on October 28, 2009.[8]

The group stated that operations would resume December 1, 2009, with
A Christmas Carol, which has been a fixture in Jacksonville for more than 20 years. Former owner Tod Booth agreed to direct the shows, which were the primary attraction. The food was placed under the direction of DeJuan Roy, a popular local restaurateur, who has changed the menu with each show; table service replaced the buffet style of serving. The building's decor is being spruced up with new flooring, fixtures, paint and table place settings,[8] and the investors plan a multimillion-dollar renovation if ticket and subscription sales are strong.[9]

The new ownership group hosted a free outdoor dinner show on November 7, 2009, to celebrate the revival of the local theatre landmark. Chef Medure cooked on a grill and performers entertained with classic show tunes. It was announced that the first show for the 2010 Season would be
High School Musical beginning December 30, 2009.[8]